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Coughlan spent four highly successful years at Home Park, forming a partnership with Paul Wotton in the centre of Argyle's defence that was the best for many years. An ever-present member of the Division Three title-winning team and top goalscorer during that season, a remarkable achievement for a defender, he was named in the PFA Division Three team of the year in 2001-02 and was also the club's player of the year. Two years later he was named the Division Two player of the year as Argyle again won the title. He was also named in the Argyle team of the century.

Having started his career in his native Ireland with Cherry Orchard and Bray Wanderers he moved to Blackburn Rovers but struggled to break into the first team. After loan spells with Swindon Town and Livingston, he moved to the latter on a permanent basis. Despite becoming a key part of the team during his two years there, Coughlan was surprisingly allowed to move to Home Park on a free transfer. Four seasons later, when told he did not fit in to Bobby Williamson's plans, he joined Paul Sturrock at Sheffield Wednesday and played regularly, again winning a player of the year award, until a change of management led to a loan move to Burnley.

After Wednesday released him in the summer of 2007, Coughlan spent a year at Rotherham United and then signed for Shrewsbury Town, being virtually ever-present for both. In 2009 he nearly returned to Argyle in a coaching capacity but chose to carry on his playing career at Shrewsbury. In 2010 he joined forces with Sturrock again at Southend United, combining player and assistant manager duties. Despite Luggy’s departure in 2013, ‘Cocko’ stayed on at Roots Hall as first team coach under new manager Phil Brown.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.

From John Lloyd in Yiewsley, Uxbridge on 15/10/2013 ...

If you look up the word "uncompromising" in the Oxford English Dictionary, you may very well find a picture of Graham Coughlan there to illustrate it.

As Paul Sturrock continued his rebuild at Home Park in the summer of 2001, he knew that he had to start at the back. He had his keeper and one of his centre backs - Romain Larrieu and Paul Wotton. So he went back to Scotland to sign Livingston's captain - Graham Coughlan, or "Cocko" as we would come to call him.

I met him at a pre-season social organised by PACSA - as he nursed an orange juice, I made a throwaway remark that maybe we might ... More

From John Lloyd in Yiewsley, Uxbridge on 15/10/2013 ...

If you look up the word "uncompromising" in the Oxford English Dictionary, you may very well find a picture of Graham Coughlan there to illustrate it.

As Paul Sturrock continued his rebuild at Home Park in the summer of 2001, he knew that he had to start at the back. He had his keeper and one of his centre backs - Romain Larrieu and Paul Wotton. So he went back to Scotland to sign Livingston's captain - Graham Coughlan, or "Cocko" as we would come to call him.

I met him at a pre-season social organised by PACSA - as he nursed an orange juice, I made a throwaway remark that maybe we might have a good chance of the play-offs in the season to come.

Back came the instant response - "We're getting promoted", accompanied by a steely gaze.

Surprised at such certainty, I said something like "well, maybe, if we get a good run going".

"We're getting f*#$ing promoted".

And he was right.

He and Wotton formed an excellent defensive partnership with both scoring vital goals in the Third Division Championship when he top-scored and again in Division Two, when he earned the Division Two's Player of the year accolade and a place in the fan-chosen "Greatest Team" in Argye's centenary season.

His speciality was those far-post headers from a set piece corner or a cross - simple, effective and apparently unstoppable.

As I found that afternoon at the Cornish social, it was hard to argue with a determined Graham Coughlan. I pitied those Third Division defenders, I really did.

Graham Coughlan - not only one of the most legendary centre-backs in our history but also a fantastic man too. Players are people and it's natural that some aren't always in the mood to stop for a chat but this was never true of Cocko - wherever he was he'd always have time for a friendly word with me (a young kid at the time) and my dad who was taking me to football. He got to recognise us from our regular trips to away games and to the Devonshire Health Club's swimming pool and always went out of his way to be friendly to a young fan. Two incidents sum him up - at the age of 11, due to ... More

From Sam Down in Southampton on 27/11/2013 ...

Graham Coughlan - not only one of the most legendary centre-backs in our history but also a fantastic man too. Players are people and it's natural that some aren't always in the mood to stop for a chat but this was never true of Cocko - wherever he was he'd always have time for a friendly word with me (a young kid at the time) and my dad who was taking me to football. He got to recognise us from our regular trips to away games and to the Devonshire Health Club's swimming pool and always went out of his way to be friendly to a young fan. Two incidents sum him up - at the age of 11, due to being Argyle's 'Young Fan of the Year' I was asked to appear to a CBBC program which features a young fan from a different football club every week. This involved a day of filming in and around the local football club and an interview with me and the club captain after training. Coughlan not only offered to do the feature with me instead of the captain but didn't once show any sign of impatience throughout the filming which went on for well over an hour. He only seemed happy to be able to help make the day of a young supporter. A few weeks later when in town with friends he actually made the effort to approach me before I'd even seen him - that made the Argyle supporting friends who I was with very jealous and again showed that he's someone with time for everyone.

This is without even mentioning his impact as a player. I started supporting Argyle during our meteoric rise from the fourth tier of football to the second and Coughlan was quite probably the key player in ensuring that rise was such a fantastic one for my first few years following this club. The complete defender; he never let a thing past him and his commitment was obvious for all to see. However much of a knock he had, he'd be right back up and would play through it. Got a good few goals too and was a menace from corners. My all time favourite Argyle player and the one player who epitomises that rise from 2001-2005 where the club was united, happy, purposeful and winning. Legend.

Just to echo Sam's entry in particular and whilst they do say 'you should never meet your heroes', well frankly sometimes you should. I always looked up to players on the pitch and this obviously starts in one's youth when they are men and you are, well, not! They're bigger than you, giants on many levels. Despite heading inexorably past my 30s as the 2000s were upon us, I still 'looked up' to players and 'Cocko' was a giant amongst giants - a colossus on the pitch. In an end-of-season event celebrating the magnificent 2001-02 Div3 championship-winning season I got some players' autographs on ... More

From Andrew Chapman in Leeds on 27/11/2013 ...

Just to echo Sam's entry in particular and whilst they do say 'you should never meet your heroes', well frankly sometimes you should. I always looked up to players on the pitch and this obviously starts in one's youth when they are men and you are, well, not! They're bigger than you, giants on many levels. Despite heading inexorably past my 30s as the 2000s were upon us, I still 'looked up' to players and 'Cocko' was a giant amongst giants - a colossus on the pitch. In an end-of-season event celebrating the magnificent 2001-02 Div3 championship-winning season I got some players' autographs on a programme. It was a defining moment to realise despite his physical presence on the pitch, I was actually bigger than 'Cocko' - a fact made more pleasantly bewildering when he called me 'Big Fella' as he signed my programme. Genuinely stuck for words and slightly star-struck at the time. Top guy, top player in a top, top team.

I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player
pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos.
Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football
Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.

The following publications have been
particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A
Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth
Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League
Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football
League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and
Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.

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